Renee's Genealogy Blog

Your RootsTech 2012 Update for 1 February

2012-02-01T10:09:00.002-07:00

The following is from RootsTech.

RootsTech Week 2012!

It’s RootsTech week. Have you tweeted about it? If so, you’re not alone. Check the RootsTech pulse by following the official bloggers and other attendees at the conference website. Here are some more tips and tidbits to get you ready for your arrival at the conference.

Syllabus Downloads

The RootsTech conference syllabus is available for download on the conference website. These materials, prepared by conference presenters, are available in PDF and DOC format and are available on the individual session information pages or as a complete download (zip file). A syllabus may contain an outline of the presentation, additional information on the speaker or topic covered, and links to websites or other online resources. Download the syllabi for the lectures you plan to attend, and have them on your laptop or smartphone to get a jump on your conference experience.

Note: There will not be a printed version of the syllabus available at the conference.

Keynotes

Join us each morning of the conference at 8:30 a.m. for a keynote session from leading industry experts.

Thursday—Jay L. Verkler, president and CEO of FamilySearch International from 2002–2012.

As a technology community, we have the opportunity to understand and predict the future by creating it. Jay will discuss that future and outline a path to get there.

Friday—Josh Coates, CEO of Instructure, an education-focused software company, and founder of online backup service Mozy.

Josh presents and discusses the origins, implications, and possible eventualities of key technologies that are shaping our technological infrastructure.

Saturday—Tim Sullivan, president and CEO of Ancestry.com and a panel of Ancestry.com senior management.

Get the inside details of the technology behind Ancestry.com from some of their top technology leaders in this don’t-want-to-miss panel discussion.

Thursday Evening Event: Exercise your Funny Bone with comedian Ryan Hamilton

Those that signed up for the Thursday event are in for a treat (ticket required). Join us for an evening with Ryan Hamilton, one of Rolling Stone's "Top 5 Comics to Watch" and a finalist in NBC's "Last Comic Standing." Ryan has appeared on several television shows, including "Conan O' Brian. A casual dinner starts in the exhibit hall at 5:15pm, and the comedian starts at 6:15pm. Come early for best seats. There will be a prize drawing for (1) HP and (1) Lenovo laptop. Must be present to win.

Explore the Exhibit Hall

Grab a bite to eat, browse the latest genealogy tech products, learn new skills in the demo area, or just dominate the competition in the Microsoft Playground. The RootsTech exhibit hall has a little bit of everything to start or finish your conference day or as a pleasant diversion between sessions. Plan your time in the exhibit hall using the Exhibit Hall page on the website or on the RootsTech Mobile app (see below).

Unconference Sessions

We have spent months preparing the RootsTech session schedule to feature topics of interest to the genealogy and technology community. But what if you have something else in mind? Enter the RootsTech “Unconference.” Unconference sessions are unplanned, unscripted, and up to the attendees to figure out. Consider it an open mic to collaborate, discuss new ideas, meet others who have common interests, and participate in the innovative thought process. A blank schedule will be posted on a whiteboard outside of the unconference rooms and the exhibit hall. Stop by, sign up, and help create an unforgettable unconference.

Heros Across America Tour

The Heros Across America Tour will be providing free DVD recording of WWII stories in its booth at RootsTech. This is a great opportunity to capture important historical memories on video that can easily be shared with family and friends now and also saved for posterity.

Free Wireless Access—Sponsored by VMWare

RootsTech is pleased to offer wireless Internet access to attendees. Wireless access will be available in the general session room, break-out sessions and common areas throughout the RootsTech conference space at the Salt Palace. Wireless access will not be offered in the Exhibit Hall; however, there are limited hard-wired connections available in the Cyber Cafe.

RootsTech Mobile App

Downloads of the RootsTech mobile app have been brisk. If you haven’t tried it out yet, this app will keep you connected with all that’s happening at RootsTech. View venue maps, create your own customized conference schedules, access speaker lists, access the conference twitter feed, and more. You can download the app in the Apple App Store as well as the Android Market.

About RootsTech

RootsTech is a new conference designed to bring technologists together with genealogists to learn from each other and find solutions to the challenges faced in family history research today. The conference’s activities and offerings are focused on content that will help genealogists and family historians discover exciting new research tools while enabling technology creators to learn the latest development techniques from industry leaders and pioneers.

Thames Watermen records now available at findmypast.co.uk

2012-02-01T10:06:00.002-07:00

The following is from FindMyPast.

FINDMYPAST.CO.UK PUBLISHES THAMES WATERMEN AND LIGHTERMEN RECORDS ONLINE

Today leading UK family history website findmypast.co.uk has published online for the very first time just under 100,000 records of Thames watermen and lightermen, spanning the years 1688 to 1949. Watermen were highly skilled boatmen who carried passengers up and down and across the Thames in row boats, steam boats, sailing boats and vessels. Lightermen worked on cargo boats rather than passenger vessels.

The collection comprises the following records:

names of competitors and those eligible to compete in the Doggett Coat & Badge Hanover prize race 1715-2010 - including details of where they were from, the date of the race and their position in the race. This is the oldest annual sporting event in the world and first took place on 1 August 1715 between London Bridge and Chelsea. The records give the name of every known competitor, including those who were unsuccessful in the drawing of lots at Watermen's Hall or the trials held at Putney.

Corporation of Trinity House licences issued to ex-mariners to ply their trade as Thames Watermen between the dates 1829 and 1864 , giving the date and their age when the licence was issued;

Company of Watermen & Lightermen of River Thames Binding records 1692-1949 (apprenticeship records);

a register of contract licences for over aged boys 1865-1926;

binding dates and birth proof affidavits 1898-1949;

reassignments 1698-1908: a list of apprentices who were reassigned from one master to another, with information about both the masters and the apprentices.

The Thames is the only river in the United Kingdom that Parliament regulates for the training and apprenticeship of young men to the trade of watermen and lightermen. Originally boys were bound to a master (or mistress, who was normally the widow of a freeman) for one year. During the 19th century, however, the apprenticeship period was altered so the boy served between five and seven years, completing his apprenticeship at the age of 21.

Amy Sell of findmypast.co.uk said: "We often get asked about researching Thames watermen ancestors, so it's very exciting that these records are now available for anyone to search online for the first time. There's a rumour that one of my own ancestors won the Doggett Coat & Badge race, so I can't wait to take a look. And if you find one waterman or lighterman in your family tree, it's likely that you'll find more, as this tended to be an occupation that ran in families."

The 99,140 new records can be searched from the Education & work area at findmypast.co.uk. They form part of the Thames-side and Medway collection, which also contains parish baptism, marriage and burial records for the region.

About findmypast.co.uk
Leading UK family history website findmypast.co.uk (formerly 1837online.com) was the first company to make the complete birth, marriage and death indexes for England & Wales available online in April 2003.

Following the transcription, scanning and indexing of over two million images, the company launched the first website to allow the public easy and fast access to the complete indexes, which until then had only been available on microfiche film in specialist archives and libraries. The launch was instrumental in creating the widespread and growing interest in genealogy seen in the UK today.

Findmypast.co.uk has subsequently digitised many more family history records and now offers access to over 750 million records dating as far back as 1538. This allows family historians and novice genealogists to search for their ancestors among comprehensive collections of military records, census, migration, occupation directories, and current electoral roll data, as well as the original comprehensive birth, marriage and death records.

In November 2006 findmypast.co.uk launched the ancestorsonboard.com microsite in association with The National Archives to publish outbound passenger lists for long-distance voyages departing all British ports between 1890 and 1960.

As well as providing access to historical records, findmypast.co.uk is also developing a range of online tools to help people discover and share their family history more easily, beginning with the launch of Family Tree Explorer in July 2007.

In April 2007, findmypast.co.uk's then parent company Title Research Group received the prestigious Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation 2007 in recognition of their achievement.

Findmypast.co.uk was acquired in December 2007 by brightsolid, the company who were awarded The National Archives' contract to publish online the 1911 census, which it launched in January 2009.

Mark Your Calendars - UVTAGG Meeting!

2012-02-01T00:22:00.004-07:00

UTAH VALLEY TECHNOLOGY AND GENEALOGY GROUP MEETING (UVTAGG)

The next regular, second-Saturday-of-the-month meeting of the Utah Valley Technology and Genealogy Group - UVTAGG (Formerly the Utah Valley PAF Users Group - UVPAFUG) will be on Saturday, 11 Feb 2012, from 9 am to noon in the LDS "Red Chapel", 4050 North Timpview Drive (650 East), Provo. Information about the Group, main presentations, classes, and class notes are available on their website http://uvtagg.org and the press releases are at http://blog.uvtagg.org .

The main presentation for this meeting will be by Randy Bryson on FAMILYSEARCH SCANNING - THE STORY OF OPENING THE GRANITE MOUNTAIN RECORDS VAULT. Since 1938 the Genealogical Society of Utah, which is now part of FamilySearch, has been capturing on film the records of the world and storing that film in the Granite Mountain Records Vault. In the past decade, modern technology and dedicated engineers have developed a means to convert those images on film to images on the Internet. This presentation will provide insight into how the images are being converted, some of the incredible challenges that have been overcome, and how today we experience one of the most prolific efforts in the world to make the records of our ancestors available to a world-wide population.

Randy Bryson is currently an Area Family History Advisor in the Utah South Area of the LDS Church and is a past Family History Center Director, as well as formerly serving as 1st Counselor in the Lehi Utah Stake Presidency with assignment over Temple and Family History work. Also, professionally working for the Family History Department, he has had experience in the development and use of FamilySearch.org, newFamilySearch, Scanning, Indexing, and older products such as Personal Ancestral File (PAF), the Pedigree Resource File (PRF), and other systems. He now works to use the Church's technology to provide FamilySearch to the homes of members and nonmembers alike. Brother Bryson lives in Lehi, Utah with his beautiful wife, Madge, also an Area Family History Adviser. They have two married daughters and three married sons with twelve grandchildren in Utah, Idaho and Alabama.

Following the main presentation there will be several classes about family history and technology with something for everyone at any level of expertise. The teachers and classes presently scheduled for this meeting are as follows:

Using the U.S. Census, by Marilyn Thomsen
Using Ancestry's Family Trees, by Kathy Magleby
Q&A on Scanning Records in the Granite Vault
Video of last month's main presentation: The Changing Face of Family History Research, by Karen Clifford
Personalized Help, by Don Engstrom & Finn Hansen
RootsMagic, by Bruce Buzbee
Ancestral Quest, by Gaylon Findlay
Legacy, by Dean Bennett.

All meetings of the Group are open to the public whether members of the Group or not. The Group has the goal of helping individuals use technology to further their family history and there are usually 100-125 attending the monthly meetings on the second Saturdays. The officers are Gerhard Ruf, President; Laurie Castillo, 1st VP; Don Snow, 2nd VP; Liz Kennington, Newsletter Editor; Renee Zamora, Secretary; Kay Baker, Gerry Eliason, and Don Engstrom working with finances and membership; and Bruce Merrill and Marie Andersen working with the DVD Library. Several of these will be there to answer questions, help with membership, distribute the current issue of the monthly newsletter TAGGology, and check out DVDs of past presentations and classes to members of the group. Information about the Group, presentations, classes, and class notes can be found at the websites mentioned above. For further information contact President Gerhard Ruf atpres@uvtagg.org (801-225-6106) or 1st VP Laurie Castillo at laurie@everythingisrelative.net, or 2nd VP Don Snow atsnowd@math.byu.edu.

Join Us Online At RootsTech 2012

2012-01-31T23:16:00.000-07:00

The following is from FamilySearch & RootsTech.

RootsTech 2012

We'd Love To See You At RootsTech, However...

We'd love to see you at RootsTech 2012! There's still time to register for the free Consultant Training and Saturday Devotional by clicking here. Or, if you'd like the full conference experience (100+ sessions, special evening events, and more) you can register for just $89 using code RT89 at www.rootstech.org and save $100!

However, if you can't make it we understand! You can still participate free of charge via live streaming of the event over the Internet.

Just login into the RootsTech home page atwww.rootstech.org during the event; the homepage will transform into RootsTech Live, letting you see what's going on at the conference--right on our homepage.

To see a schedule of what we'll be streaming (all times Mountain Standard Time), visit www.rootstech.org.

One last thing--the Consultant classes won't be streamed live, but they'll be recorded and made available on the consultant site after the conference. Watch for more details about this after RootsTech.

The RootsTech Team

Fold3 Opens Nearly 3 Million African American Records For Free During Black History Month

2012-01-31T23:06:00.001-07:00

The following is from Fold3.

Fold3 is proud to announce Free access to our Black History Collection in honor of Black History Month. This collection includes many enlightening historical records documenting African American achievements since the earliest days of our nation, and will be available the entire month of February.

As soon as black soldiers were recruited to serve the Union in 1863, records were generated to document their service including Compiled Service Records for the U.S. Colored Troops and, ultimately, pension files. The pension file index cards, like this one for Joel Bedenbaugh, include a soldier's rank, company, and regiment within the U.S.C. Infantry, his pension numbers, and sometimes a death date, 24 August 1913, in this case. Private Bedenbaugh's 16-page service record also includes his enlistment record from when he joined up in Dayton, Ohio, in 1864.

Southern Claims Commission files are petitions by southerners who lost property to Union troops during the Civil War, including many blacks, like William and Louisa Ferguson. Though freeborn, Louisa was not only the wife of a slave, but also the daughter of George Washington's carpenter, also a slave. Their claim for compensation of $150 for the loss of a horse was denied, but Louisa's tales of Union and Confederate troops in the vicinity includes her encounters with the rebels and her service to the Union hospital nearby. A transcription of her file is here.

Explore these and thousands of other records documenting the history of African Americans in the U.S., from before the Civil War to the War in Vietnam. Join us as we recognize Black History Month and provide free* access to the Black History Collection on Fold3.

Registration for 2012 LDSTech Conference Now Open

2012-01-31T22:39:00.001-07:00

The following is from the LDSTech website.

The 2012 LDSTech Conference will be held March 29-30 in Riverton, UT. The LDSTech Conference consists of two days of information-packed sessions about Church technology, community sessions for testing and developing Church software, and opportunities to interact with other community volunteers.

Registration for the conference is now open. You can register for the conference by going to https://tech.lds.org/conf/.

Breakfast and lunch are provided each day of the conference. Be sure to bring your laptop, tablet, and mobile devices for development and testing. During the conference, you can expect to do the following:

Learn about new Church technologies, sites, and applications. Browse information booths, attend technology sessions, and participate in tutorials and workshops.
Help beta test and improve new, unreleased software. Identify bugs and other issues to help development teams refine and improve applications.
Lead community projects. Get involved in project leadership by managing and prioritizing tasks, integrating community volunteers, and coordinating development.

For more information about the conference, see the LDSTech Conference wiki page.

Why RootsMagic Works for Me!

2012-01-31T12:37:00.000-07:00

Genealogist can be really passionate about their genealogy software programs. I have to include myself among that bunch. In July 2007, I was heralding the praises of Legacy Family Tree from within the walls of this blog. I was happy I was content, life was good. Then the challenge was offered to take a peek at RootsMagic.

I was lucky the RootsMagician himself (Bruce Buzbee) demonstrated the inner workings of RootsMagic to me. The feel and flow of the program just spoke to me and my heart sang "This is the one! It conforms to my sense of order in my little genealogy world."

At that moment I knew an eternal genealogy truth. There is no "right" program out there, it's all a personal choice. All of us have different tastes, styles, ways of thinking, preference methods, and our own sense of order. Combine all this with the power of peer pressure and the individual needs for hand holding tech support, is it any wonder that there are so many different genealogy software programs out there?

It's been almost 3 years since I posted "Why I Left Legacy for RootsMagic". At the time I was comparing Legacy 7 with RootsMagic 3. An imminent launch of RootsMagic 4 was on the horizon. Today I am using RootsMagic 5 and still loving it. In fact I even work for the company now, which is the best job ever!

In this article I want to share with you some of my favorite features and why RootsMagic works for me!

Edit Person Screen

Upon analyzing RootsMagic for the first time, the major thing I noticed, was how much the Edit Person screen resembled a spreadsheet. I am a spreadsheet sorta gal. Neat little rows and columns let me see at a glance the events I have recorded on a person's life. Corresponding check marks notify me if there are notes, sources and media for that event. There is so much information at my figure tips, yet it doesn't feel cluttered. You just don't have to dig deep to find the information. Just look at that window. Isn't it beautiful!

Timeline View

The Timeline View is a new feature in RootsMagic 5. Now I can see not only the events in a person's life but when major events happened in family members lives. This really helps me visualize new places to look for information on people. Ok, maybe not this relative, but you get the idea.

Descendant View

You may not think this view is anything special, but I want to share a tip with you. In the RootsMagic Forum one user described how they primarily work from the Descendant View, especially when adding new people to the database. I was like "What?" I had never done that and thought it weird, but, I was willing to give it a go. You know what, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love, love, love to add people to RootsMagic from the descendant view. I can see all the family relationships at a glance. It helps me keep track of who belongs to whom. When you combine this with using short-cut keys you get blazing fast at data-entry. This is my favorite view to work from.

To Do List

There are some really great changes in RootsMagic 5 on the To-Do List. I haven't taken advantage of them yet in my primary database, which is what you are looking at. I had my own little coding system going on in the Task Title to help me locate priority items. Now with the ability to sort on priority, status, completed and open items things will get much easier as I convert over.

To-Do Lists are a must for genealogist and I really put mine to good use in RootsMagic. I am forever late night searching out new leads, but to tired to enter them into my database. You can see in this example I saved the obit and then reminded myself to go back and data entry it. There is never a boring moment in my genealogy - always work to be done.

Research Manager - Research Logs

Another new feature in RootsMagic 5 is the Research Manager. I am so excited about it's arrival because now we finally have Research Logs. You can create Research Logs for a Person, Family, Event, Place or General items. The intention is to move To-Do items into a Research Log as you complete each task. This will build a log of all your completed research activities.

You are probably noticing by now that I only have one Research Log and a single entry in it. As I've played with the Research Log in my test database I could see that it had even greater potential than what it was designed for. If you save the research log report as an RTF file you can edit the column headers in Word to anything you want. This leaves the field wide open for all sorts of spreadsheet type lists.

I've had a goal for several years to create a Genealogy Inventory Database or even just a Personal Library of books I own. The Research Log is fully searchable and sortable. It's possible for me to record all the genealogy materials I have and track my work status with them. Are they digitized? Where do I store them? Has all the information I need been data entry into my database, etc, etc?

I am way excited about these Research Logs, yes for their intended purpose, but also for my personal desires. I really do like having all my research right at my finger tips. This brings me to the finale favorite thing about RootsMagic I am going to share with you today.

RootsMagic To-Go

RootsMagic To-Go was introduced in RootsMagic 4. It is a small utility program that comes with the program. It allows you to install the RootsMagic program onto your flash drive and transfer your database files to keep them in sync. RootsMagic To-Go helps me keep at a minimum what I need to take on research trips. I have not needed to use my laptop in a long time. As long as I am at a research facility with a computer I can pop in my flash drive with RootsMagic To-Go on it and have the full database right in front of me. No need to install the software to anyone's computer and no traces are left behind. A flash-drive with RootsMagic To-Go on it is part of my emergency kit. I never leave home without it.

Here's another great tip for using RootsMagic To-Go. I've used it at home right along side my desktop version of RootsMagic. I will open the desktop version of the program and RootsMagic To-Go at the same time and tile them side by side. This helps me compare information by having multiple windows, such as two edit person screens, open next to each other. You can not drag n' drop between the programs, like you could if you had two databases open in one program at a time. This just allows you to enhance the comparisons.

As I start to wrap this article up I realize I didn't talk about the new Multimedia features, Sources, CountyCheck, working with New FamilySearch, or a number of other great things - all important to my genealogy life! Yes, there are many, many reason why RootsMagic works for me. I suggest you stop by the RootsMagic Booth at RootsTech this week and check out the program. If you're at home check out the free webinars online at: http://www.rootsmagic.com/Webinars/

And last but not least, if you are participating in the RootsMagic 2012 RootsTech Treasure Hunt, with an opportunity to win an iPad, my clue is below. (Don't forget to click on the image)

I appreciate you stopping by Renee's Genealogy Blog. If you enjoyed this article please feel free to sign up for my RSS feed or request email delivery by FeedBlitz. Links are available on the top right column of the website at: http://rzamor1.blogspot.com

See ya tomorrow, for tomorrow is always another genealogy day!

Win an iPad in the RootsMagic 2012 RootsTech Treasure Hunt!

2012-01-30T18:36:00.001-07:00

The following is from RootsMagic.

It’s been a tremendous last few months here at RootsMagic. We’ve been busy with the new releases of Personal Historian 2 and RootsMagic 5. We’re also excited to participate in one of the largest genealogy events in North America-RootsTech!

We want to celebrate these momentous events with you, our loyal users! And what better way to celebrate than with a treasure hunt where you could win one of many prizes including an iPad 2!

Online Treasure Hunt

We’ve partnered with 15 of the best and brightest genealogy bloggers who will be reporting at the RootsTech conference. Each blogger will place one of 15 clue words on their website. The clue word will look something like this:

From Thursday, February 2 through Wednesday, February 8, 2012, visit http://www.rootsmagic.com/treasure for a complete list of the blogs where the 15 clue words can be found. Visit each blog, collect all 15 clue words, and you could win software, prizes, or an iPad 2!

Enter at RootsTech or at Home

Once you’ve collected the clues there are two ways to enter. The first is at the RootsTech conference itself. Pick up an entry card at the RootsMagic booth(#224) in the Exhibit Hall. Write the clue words on the back of the card and return it to the RootsMagic booth in the Exhibit Hall by Saturday, February 4 at 1:20 pm. At that time, we will hold the prize drawings. You must be present to win.

We didn’t want those who aren’t able to attend RootsTech in person to feel left out so we’re holding a second drawing and giving away more prizes including a second iPad 2. To enter this drawing, visit http://www.rootsmagic.com/treasure anytime between Thursday, February 2 and midnight MST on Wednesday, February 8, 2012. Fill out the online form to be entered into the second drawing. You may enter both drawings but one entry per person, per drawing. Winners will be picked at random and notified via e-mail by Friday, February 10, 2012.

Remember, the treasure hunt doesn’t begin until this Thursday. Good luck!

RootsTech 2012 Starts This Week!

2012-01-30T18:11:00.001-07:00

The following is from FamilySearch and RootsTech.

RootsTech 2012 Is Here!

RootsTech Kicks Off This Week

If you haven't yet signed up for RootsTech 2012 to take advantage of the FREE offers--the Consultant Training Track, the Devotional on Saturday, and access to the many amazing companies who will be in the exhibit hall, maybe this additional offer will get you to register!

Attendees can print FREE poster-sized versions of their family history (like a 9-generation fan chart) in the GenealogyWallCharts company booth (#620). There is no charge for B&W prints, and you can upgrade to a color print for as little as $5.95.

You can submit your PDF ahead of time by visiting www.genealogywallcharts.com, or bring your PDF to the event on a USB drive or CD to take advantage of this great opportunity.

Dress

As a reminder, dress for RootsTech is business casual...even for the Saturday Devotional.

If you've already registered, we'll see you this week! If not, you must register to attend by clicking here.

The RootsTech Team

Ancestry.com, Behindthename.com, and Werelate.org Announce an Improved Approach For Finding Variant Names

2012-01-30T18:08:00.001-07:00

The following is from Ancestry.com.

Ancestry.com, BehindTheName.com, and WeRelate.org announce an improved approach to finding variant names in genealogy searches. Up to now, most genealogy websites have had to rely upon Soundex to return variant names in response to searches. These approaches often miss variants that should be returned, or include variants that aren't very similar.

Ancestry.com, BehindTheName.com, and WeRelate.org have created an open-source database of name variants that is free for any website or genealogy software developer to use. Tested against pairs of names provided by Ancestry.com, it reduces the number of missed name variants by over 25% in comparison with Soundex.

How you can help: A large portion of genealogical expertise involves learning variant spellings for the surnames in your tree. Why not share your knowledge with others? By adding your variant spellings to the database, searches on any website that uses it will include your variant spellings automatically. You can review and add variant spellings here: http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Special:Names

In addition, we need people to review the changes that others have made to the database, to make sure that we have multiple pairs of eyes reviewing the names that are being added and removed. You can review changes that others have made here: http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Special:NamesLog

If you are a website or software developer: The database and source code are available at: https://github.com/DallanQ/Names

In addition to the database of name variants, the source code also includes a function to return the similarity score between any two names. This function has been found useful in duplicate detection.

More information about the project can be found at: http://www.werelate.org/wiki/WeRelate:Variant_names_project

brightsolid hires top genealogist D. Joshua Taylor to support move into US market

2012-01-30T18:07:00.001-07:00

The following is from brightSolid.

brightsolid hires top genealogist D. Joshua Taylor to support move into US market

• He’s helped stars find their roots on TV’s “Who Do You Think You Are?”

Now, he’s helping brightsolid’s US launch as business development manager

and media spokesperson

• Taylor is one of several new appointments to the new US operation

of UK’s major online genealogy business

January 30, 2012. SANTA MONICA, CA: brightsolid online publishing, a leading online provider of historical and genealogical content, today announces that top genealogist D. Joshua Taylor has joined its new US operation with immediate effect, as business development manager and media spokesperson.

D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS is one of America’s most prominent genealogists – a prolific genealogical researcher, speaker and author, who has also received numerous awards for his work. Adept at media interviews, he has twice been featured on the NBC series ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’, helping both Sarah Jessica Parker and Ashley Judd trace their family trees.

“We’re thrilled to have recruited such a dynamic and talented genealogist to represent us both to the media and the wider genealogical community”, says Neil Curtis, brightsolid’s new Senior Vice-President (SVP) of North America.

Speaking about his appointment, Taylor says: “Having seen what brightsolid has achieved on the UK genealogy scene, I’m excited about helping them fulfill their huge potential in the US.”

British-owned brightsolid has itself been at the forefront of technological innovations in family history for over three decades. It hosts over a billion genealogical records across its family of brands and was this month voted Best Genealogy Organization in the online Gene Awards.

As part of its move into North America, brightsolid is sponsoring RootsTech 2012, the major family history and technology conference, taking place in Salt Lake City from February 2-4 2012, where Taylor himself will be giving three talks. They will cover, respectively, the need for a universal standard in online digital archiving; best practices for using Cloud computing in family history research; and a forecast for future genealogy software developments.

Other new appointments to brightsolid’s new US operation:

D. Joshua Taylor is just one of several new appointments for brightsolid, following the opening this month of its new US operation, based in Santa Monica, California.

• Neil Curtis moves from his role as brightsolid Corporate Development Manager to focus on the US market as Senior Vice President (SVP) of North America.

• Rachel Denning joins as the General Manager of North America, after 14 years experience in the IT and web industries.

• Brian Speckart joins as Marketing Manager of North America, after a varied 15-year career in marketing and public relations, including teaching New Media Marketing at UCLA Extension.

• Katy Curtis will focus on North America as Finance Manager, after previously working as a director at KPMG.

• More About D. Joshua Taylor

D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS has been passionate about genealogical and historical research since his youth. He has continued to show this passion during his 15-year year career in the genealogy industry.

He has received numerous awards for his work, including RootsTech’s Distinguished Presenter Award, the Federation of Genealogical Societies Award of Merit and the Rubincam Youth Award from the National Genealogical Society.

He is the current Vice-President of Administration for the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS), where he also serves as chairman of the Conference Planning Committee. He previously held the role of Director of Education and Programs at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the nation’s oldest genealogical organization (founded in 1845).

He was a regular columnist for ‘Digital Genealogist’ and has published prolifically in ‘America Ancestors’ and ‘Association of Professional Genealogist Quarterly’, amongst other titles. He is also a frequent speaker at genealogical societies and events, including GENTECH, the National Genealogical Society Annual Conference and RootsTech, where he’ll be speaking again this year.

He holds an MLS (Archival Management) and an MA (History) from Simmons. In the medium-term Taylor will be based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

He will be giving three talks at RootsTech 2012, February 2-4:

• A User's Perspective: Developing a Universal Metadata Structure for Genealogical Content Providers

• Do I Trust the Cloud? - Cloud Computing and Family History

• Software Forecast 2.0 - What Genealogists Need for the Future

• About brightsolid

Since 1994, brightsolid group has been delivering online innovation and pioneering the expansion of the genealogy market with leading family history websites including the global network of findmypast sites, plus ScotlandsPeople, GenesReunited, and britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk, together servicing over 18 million registered customers worldwide.

The sites connect people via their innovative family tree software and deliver access to over a billion records dating as far back as 1200. Family historians can search for their ancestors among global collections, relating primarily to people with UK and Irish ancestry, of military records, census, migration, occupation directories, newspapers, as well as birth, marriage and death records.

brightsolid is proud to be part of the 1940 US Census Community Project, a joint initiative with Archives.com, FamilySearch and other leading genealogy organizations, which aims to make the 1940 census searchable as quickly as possible after its release in April 2012. The completion of the project will allow anyone to search for their ancestors in the 1940 census for free online. Learn about this exciting new project atwww.the1940census.com and volunteer to help today!

Season 3 Premiere of "Who Do You Think You Are?"

2012-01-27T20:20:00.000-07:00

The following is from Ancestry.com

From the Irish Civil War to the American Revolution, and from the African nation of Cameroon to the Republic of Bulgaria, Season 3 of Who Do You Think You Are?will take you all over the world and inside the fascinating family histories of 12 celebrities.

Learn more on NBC.com

Watch a preview

whose stories will you discover this season?

episode 1: Martin Sheen learns how family members in Ireland and Spain stood up for their beliefs during times of war.
February 3rd, 8/7c

episode 2: Marisa Tomei travels to Italy to discover the truth behind the rumor about her great-grandfather’s murder.
February 10th, 8/7c

Tune in throughout the rest of the season to watch Blair Underwood, Reba McEntire, Rob Lowe, Helen Hunt, Rita Wilson, Edie Falco, Rashida Jones, Jerome Bettis, Jason Sudeikis and Paula Deen.

RootsTech Conference Will Broadcast Select Sessions Free Online

2012-01-27T20:15:00.002-07:00

The following is from RootsTech.

RootsTech Conference Will Broadcast Select Sessions Free Online

SALT LAKE CITY—RootsTech, a leading family history and technology conference held in Salt Lake City, Utah, February 2-4, 2012, announced today that fourteen of its popular sessions will be broadcasted live and complimentary over the Internet. The live broadcasts will give those unable to attend worldwide a sample of this year’s conference content. Interested viewers can watch the live presentations at RootsTech.org. The second-year conference has attracted over 3,000 registered attendees.

The free online sessions include the keynote speakers and a sampling of technology and family history presentations. Following are the fourteen broadcasted sessions and speakers. All times are in Mountain Standard Time (MST):

Thursday, February 2

8:30-10:00 am, Inventing the Future, as a Community (Keynote Address) by Jay L. Verkler

11:00 am-12:00 pm, Do I Trust the Cloud? by D. Joshua Taylor

1:45-2:45 pm, Effective Database Search Tactics by Kory Meyerink

3:00-4:00 pm, Twitter – It’s Not Just “What I Had for Breakfast” Anymore by Thomas MacEntee

4:15-5:15 pm, Eleven Layers of Online Searches by Barbara Renick

Friday, February 3

8:30-9:30 am, Exabyte Social Clouds and Other Monstrosities (Keynote Address) by Josh Coates

9:45-10:45 am, Publish Your Genealogy Online by Laura G. Prescott

11:00 am-12:00 pm, Optimize Your Site for Search Engines by Robert Gardner

1:45-2:45 pm, Genealogists “Go Mobile” by Sandra Crowly

3:00-4:00 pm, Google’s Toolbar and Genealogy by Dave Barney

Saturday, February 4

8:30-9:30 am, Making the Most of Technology to Further the Family History Industry (Keynote Address) by Tim Sullivan and Ancestry.com Panel

9:45-10:45 am Genealogy Podcasts and Blogs 101 by Lisa Louise Cooke

11:00 am-12:00 pm, Future of FamilySearch Family Tree by Ron Tanner

1:45-2:45 pm, Privacy in a Collaborative Environment by Noah Tatuk

About RootsTech

Fold3 5th Anniversary Special Ends Soon

2012-01-27T20:12:00.006-07:00

The following is from Fold3.

Last Chance to Get $30 off a Fold3 Annual Membership

We want to remind you that our 5th Anniversary offer is expiring. Get an Annual Membership now for only $49.95 (regular price is $79.95).

In 5 years, Fold3 has:

Added over 85 million documents and over 100 million memorial pages
Established unique partnerships with the National Archives and other institutions
Built a unique set of content that perfectly complements other websites like Ancestry.com
Grown to over 1.5 million registered Fold3 Members

Click Here to see what we've added recently.
Act Now! This offer ends January 31st at 11:59pm

Canterbury Cathedral records to go online at findmypast.co.uk

2012-01-27T20:10:00.003-07:00

The following is from FindMyPast.

FINDMYPAST.CO.UK TO PUBLISH CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL RECORDS ON THE WEB

Project announced to increase access to over a million baptism, marriage and burial records dating back to 1538
First time that images of the original parish records from East Kent churches will appear online

Today leading UK family history website findmypast.co.uk has announced that it has been awarded a contract by Canterbury Cathedral Archives to publish online for the very first time historic records from the archive. The first phase of the Canterbury Collection project will see a browsable version of the parish registers of the historic Archdeaconry of Canterbury go online in the coming weeks at findmypast.co.uk.

An estimated 270,000 images containing over a million entries will be published on the website, covering parish churches from a wide expanse of East Kent, including:

the city of Canterbury
the towns of Faversham, Wye and Elham
Thanet
towns along the east Kent coast stretching from Whitstable in the north round to Hythe in the south

The launch has been timed to coincide with the temporary closure of Canterbury Cathedral Archives for refurbishment, so that family historians and local historians can continue to enjoy access to these fascinating records until the Archives reopens in autumn 2012.

From the initial online launch in February, visitors to the findmypast.co.uk website will be able to browse through the scanned pages of the parish records to search for their ancestors. At the same time, findmypast.co.uk will start to transcribe the records, with a view to creating an index and making them fully searchable on the website later this year.

Paul Nixon, Content Licensing Manager for findmypast.co.uk, said: "We're really looking forward to seeing these invaluable records from Canterbury Cathedral Archives go live on findmypast.co.uk, strengthening the site's position as the natural home for UK parish records."

Canterbury Cathedral Archivist Cressida Williams, added: "Working with findmypast has provided us with a wonderful opportunity to expand access to these records to a worldwide audience. This resource will be a great asset for anyone with an interest in the history of this part of Kent."

The Canterbury Collection will join an impressive array of UK parish records at findmypast.co.uk, including records from Manchester Archives, Cheshire Archives, Plymouth & West Devon Record Office and Welsh Archives, in addition to over 40 million parish records from family history societies throughout the UK in partnership with the Federation of Family History Societies.

Anyone wishing to be notified when the Canterbury Collection becomes available can register online at findmypast.co.uk to receive a newsletter.

About findmypast.co.uk
Leading UK family history website findmypast.co.uk (formerly 1837online.com) was the first company to make the complete birth, marriage and death indexes for England & Wales available online in April 2003.

Following the transcription, scanning and indexing of over two million images, the company launched the first website to allow the public easy and fast access to the complete indexes, which until then had only been available on microfiche film in specialist archives and libraries. The launch was instrumental in creating the widespread and growing interest in genealogy seen in the UK today.

Findmypast.co.uk has subsequently digitised many more family history records and now offers access to over 750 million records dating as far back as 1538. This allows family historians and novice genealogists to search for their ancestors among comprehensive collections of military records, census, migration, occupation directories, and current electoral roll data, as well as the original comprehensive birth, marriage and death records.

In November 2006 findmypast.co.uk launched the ancestorsonboard.com microsite in association with The National Archives to publish outbound passenger lists for long-distance voyages departing all British ports between 1890 and 1960.

As well as providing access to historical records, findmypast.co.uk is also developing a range of online tools to help people discover and share their family history more easily, beginning with the launch of Family Tree Explorer in July 2007.

In April 2007, findmypast.co.uk's then parent company Title Research Group received the prestigious Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation 2007 in recognition of their achievement.

Findmypast.co.uk was acquired in December 2007 by brightsolid, the company who were awarded The National Archives' contract to publish online the 1911 census, which it launched in January 2009.

About Canterbury Cathedral Archives
Canterbury Cathedral Archives collects, cares for, and provides access to, records relating to Canterbury Cathedral, the City of Canterbury, parishes in the historic Archdeaconry of Canterbury, and other local institutions and families. The Archives closes on 31st January for refurbishment work, due to reopen in Autumn 2012.Findmypast.co.uk is working with the Cathedral Archives on 'the Canterbury Collection', made up of registers of parishes in the historic Archdeaconry of Canterbury.

http://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/history/archives.aspx

Your RootsTech 2012 Update for 26 January

2012-01-26T13:45:00.001-07:00

The following is from RootsTech.

One Week Until RootsTech 2012!

It is nearly time for RootsTech, the year’s first major national genealogy conference. Excitement is building in Salt Lake City for what promises to be a historic event. The RootsTech team has been hard at work on tools to help you plan for and enjoy the conference.

Finalize Your Plans—The Website Can Help

The RootsTech website is a one-stop shop for information about your conference experience. You’ll find lecture schedules, venue and travel information, special event details, an exhibit hall map, and contact information. You can also edit your registration details. Log into theRootsTech site today to check the event and lecture schedule, to plan your time in the exhibit hall, or to confirm your lunches and evening events.

RootsTech Mobile App

Tired of scrolling through the program for information on your next session? The RootsTech mobile app is now available in the Apple App Store as well as theAndroid Market. The free RootsTech app is the perfect conference companion, with venue maps, customizable conference schedules, speaker lists, access to the conference twitter feed, and more. Download the app today, and make it part of your conference experience.

Family History Book Scanning

A new feature of this year’s conference is the addition of a family history book-scanning service. It will provide a free and easy way for attendees to make a digital copy of a printed family history or book of genealogical value (the book must be out of copyright or you must be the copyright holder). Digital copies will be published and searchable freely online at FamilySearch.org. Interested? You can sign up online or just bring a copy of the book to the scanning booth. Either way, you will leave the booth with your original, plus a digital version on a flash drive.

Official Conference Bloggers

Just like last year, RootsTech 2012 will feature an active group of official conference bloggers. These social media genealogy authors are followed by millions of serious and novice family history buffs that want to keep up on the latest and greatest in genealogy or to learn some helpful research gem. RootsTech has 19 official bloggers and another 70 unofficial bloggers registered to attend. Go to rootstech.org/bloggers to locate the official bloggers’ sites online, or follow their tweets now through the end of the conference on the RootsTech.org home page or through the RootsTech mobile app.

About RootsTech

Ancestry.com Partners with Historical Society of PA to Bring Rich History Online

2012-01-26T13:43:00.004-07:00

The following is from Ancestry.com.

Ancestry.com Partners with Historical Society of Pennsylvania to Bring the State’s Rich History Online

Family History Leader Adds Millions of State Birth, Marriage and Death Records to its Pennsylvania Vital Record Collection

PROVO, UTAH – (January 26, 2012) – Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online family history resource, announced today that it has added over seven million records detailing more than 300 years of Pennsylvanians’ life history spanning from 1593-1908 to its already expansive collection of Pennsylvania state records. Presented in partnership with the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, these latest additions cover pivotal years, when the Keystone State was not only growing itself, but contributing to the overall development of the country. This comprehensive collection includes details about the lives of everyday Pennsylvanians as well as those who helped forge the state’s rich historical past, with records for the Hershey family, Benjamin Franklin, John Coltrane and many others.

“Ancestry.com is committed to the continued expansion of our existing collections and increasing the breadth of information for all Americans looking to learn more about their past,” said Josh Hanna, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Ancestry.com. “Pennsylvania was a crucial state during the formation of our country and these records detail the daily lives of its citizenry during these critical years. We look forward to continuing our work with the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and allowing people to learn more about this state’s rich past.”

Research conducted by Harris Interactive within the United States revealed that four in five Americans have an interest in learning about their family history and three out of four Americans claim that knowing their family history is important to them.^{^[1]} Working with the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Ancestry.com is easing the burden of those with Pennsylvania roots who want to learn more about their family history by bringing records that were traditionally created and maintained locally, online. Research that previously required countless hours of time, finances and travel to make discoveries can now be done with the click of a mouse.

As the foundation of family history research, civil vital records – recordings of births, deaths and marriages – serve as an essential tool for the millions of Americans who are beginning or continuing their family history research. The newest vital record additions, containing information from each county in the state of Pennsylvania, include:

Pennsylvania, Births, Church and Town Records, 1593-1708: The documents in this database contain records from churches, funeral homes, cemeteries, newspapers, historical societies, as well as personal records and other various sources.
Pennsylvania, Naturalizations, 1794-1908: This database contains records created as immigrants applied for U.S. citizenship through Pennsylvania courts. They include petitions for citizenship, certificates of citizenship, court naturalization lists, country of origination and more.

“The Historical Society of Pennsylvania decided to partner with Ancestry.com to make more than seven million of our vital records more accessible to family historians,” said Kim Sajet, president and CEO of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. “Through this partnership, our records will reach millions of people who are searching for their ancestors. The vital records we have posted to Ancestry.com are just a small portion of the genealogical records here at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. We welcome anyone interested in family history to visit our library in Center City Philadelphia.”

These new vital record databases are available to current Ancestry.com subscribers and can be found at www.ancestry.com/vitals. As always, Ancestry.com is free of charge for 14 days to all new users.

About Ancestry.com (www.Ancestry.com)

Ancestry.com Inc. (Nasdaq:ACOM) is the world's largest online family history resource, with more than 1.7 million paying subscribers. More than 8 billion records have been added to the site in the past 15 years. Ancestry users have created more than 30 million family trees containing over 3 billion profiles. In addition to its flagship site www.ancestry.com, Ancestry.com offers localized Web sites designed to empower people to discover, preserve and share their family history.

About the Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Founded in 1824 in Philadelphia, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP) is one of the oldest historical societies in the United States. It is home to some 600,000 printed items and more than 21 million manuscript and graphic items. Its unparalleled collections encompass more than 350 years of America’s history—from its 17th-century origins to the contributions of its most recent immigrants. The Historical Society is one of the largest family history libraries in the nation, has preeminent printed collections on Pennsylvania and regional history, and offers superb manuscript collections renowned for their strength in 17th-, 18th-, and 19th-century history. The Historical Society’s remarkable holdings together with its educational programming make it one of the nation’s most important special collections libraries: a center of historical documentation and study, education, and engagement.

Family History Library February 2012 Research Series - Swedish Research

2012-01-25T20:25:00.001-07:00

The following is from FamilySearch.

Free ResearchSeries on Swedish Research

The FamilyHistory Library Hosts Events in February.

SALTLAKE CITY, UTAH¾Genealogists and familyhistory enthusiasts looking for help with Swedish research will be interestedin Swedish classes held at the Family History Library in February. A free SwedishResearch Series will be held on Saturday, February 25 at the Family History Library.The classes will include:

9:00a.m. “Swedish Military Records andStrategies - Army”

10:00 a.m. “Swedish Military Records andStrategies - Navy”

11:00 a.m. “Reconnecting with Living Relativesin Sweden”

To view the class schedule online, go to www.familysearch.org. Classes will be held in the Main Floor classroom of the Family HistoryLibrary. The library is located west ofTemple Square on West Temple between North Temple and South Temple Streets indowntown Salt Lake City. On Saturdays, parking is free to library patronsand is located behind the Church History Museum. To register for thesefree classes, send an email to FHLClassReg@familysearch.org orcall 1-801-240-4950.

Family History Library February 2012 Research Series - African-American Research

2012-01-25T20:23:00.003-07:00

The following is from FamilySearch.

Free ResearchSeries on African-American Research

The FamilyHistory Library Hosts Events in February.

SALTLAKE CITY, UTAH¾Genealogists and familyhistory enthusiasts looking for help with African-American research will beinterested in African-American classes held at the Family History Library inFebruary. A free African-American Research Series will be held on Saturday, February11 at the Family History Library. The classes will include:

9:00a.m. “Four Key Resources for Research”

10:15a.m. “Genealogical Proof Standard forSolving Research Problems”

11:30a.m. “Southern Plantation Records”

FamilySearch Research Help Community Newsletter

2012-01-25T20:20:00.001-07:00

The following is from FamilySearch.

Share Your Story Contest!

We need your help! Tell us how you’ve given or received help with your family history research, and enter to win a $100 Visa gift card!

We are interested in gathering compelling stories about how FamilySearch’s research help services have helped you or someone else you know to discover their ancestors. FamilySearch’s research help services include the wiki, forums, online training, Facebook pages, and more. We would also like to hear if you’ve used any of these tools to help others with their research. The purpose of the stories is to educate our patrons on the usefulness and impact of these free services. The stories will be shared in multiple formats, including text, audio, and video.

All participants that submit a story about their successful experiences with research help services will be entered into a random drawing to win a $100 Visa gift card from FamilySearch.

Please click the link below to share your story:

https://lds.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_czEAU5Wy6Sl3ZFq

Entries must be submitted by February 10, 2012. View the official contest rules for more information.

The 1940 U.S. Cenus Community Project

In April, the 1940 U.S. Federal Census will be released to the public in the form of an image database from the National Archives. The 1940 U.S. Census Community Project, a national service project started by Archives.com, FamilySearch, and findmypast.com, was created to coordinate efforts to make the images freely searchable by name. Genealogical societies, groups, and individuals can provide expert, local help to transcribe these valuable census records of the “greatest generation” and make it possible for families and family historians the world over to connect even better with their past. Visitfamilysearch.org/1940census and sign up to help today!

RootsTech Live

Can’t attend RootsTech 2012 in person? Join us online for RootsTech Live every day during the conference, Thursday through Saturday, February 2–4. All events held in room 155 of the conference hall will be streamed live on the conference home page. Check out the conference schedule to see which sessions are being held in room 155 and will be available for live-streaming on rootstech.org.

Last Chance--Free Consultant RootsTech 2012 Registration

2012-01-25T20:15:00.002-07:00

The following is from RootsTech and FamilySearch.

RootsTech 2012

Free Consultant, Priesthood, and Family History Director Track

RootsTech 2012 is fast approaching--and for Family History Consultants, Priesthood Leaders, Family History Directors, and Stake Indexing Directors, you can attend this track FOR FREE!

FamilySearch wants you to take advantage of this free opportunity to get educated and motivated--all you have to do is click here to register!

At this amazing event you'll find special Consultant Training classes and a Family History General Authority Devotional by Elder Paul E. Koelliker of the Seventy on Saturday February 4 from 11:00 a.m. to noon. You'll also have full access to the keynote addresses each day and the Expo Hall.

If you've been considering attending RootsTech but haven't made up your mind, it's easy to sign up by clicking here.

Here is the complete Consultant RootsTech schedule.

One last thing, if you want the full conference experience FamilySearch is offering Consultants, Priesthood Leaders, and Family History Directors $100 off registration! This gets you into all the breakout presentations, workshops, and lab sessions. Just enter code RT89 after clicking here to registerfor $89 instead of $189.

If you still have cold feet, here's an idea...bring a spouse or another Consultant by clicking on the Forward to a Friend link below so they can register, too.

We look forward to seeing you at the industry-leading RootsTech 2012 event.

The FamilySearch Team

UGA South Davis Family History Fair 2012

2012-01-25T19:58:00.001-07:00

The following is from the Utah Genealogical Association.

Welcome to the UGA South Davis Family History Fair!!

This long standing community event will take place on Friday March 2nd and Saturday March 3rd, 2012 at Bountiful High School, 695 South Orchard Drive, Bountiful, Utah.

The Utah Genealogical Association has taken over support for the fair from the South Davis Family History Center, and the North Canyon Stake. We appreciate the opportunity to promote and continue this outstanding event.

Cost: UGA Members $10, Non-Member $15, Join UGA & Conference Registration $40
Volunteer openings available - conference registration & CD syllabus free for volunteers

Friday, March 2

The fair will begin on Friday night with a General Session featuring noted speaker Lisa Louise Cook (The Genealogy Gems Podcast and the Google Earth for Genealogy video series).

Her subject will be: The Virtual Family History Amazing Race!In this exciting session you will travel virtually the Google Earth globe testing your genealogy knowledge. You are guaranteed to learn something new and have a ton of fun doing it!

This meeting will begin at 7:00 PM in the auditorium of Bountiful High School. All are invited to attend. Those who have already registered for the fair, can pick up their registration materials on Friday night, thus, avoiding the lines on Saturday morning.

Come join us for a fantastic evening of adventure!!

Saturday, March 3

Registration check in will begin at 7:00 AM

The keynote address will begin on Saturday morning at 8:00 AM featuring noted genealogist Karen Clifford.

Her subject will be: Uniting Generations: The Changing Face of Family History Research
Following the keynote address we will continue with 3 class sessions running from 9:15-12:45 PM. Each session will include 22 classes and 3 computer labs featuring New FamilySearch, Ancestry.com and Microsoft Office instruction.

New this year - Need some help with a genealogical brickwall? Sit down with a professional genealogist for 30 minutes for personalized research help. Our "Ask an Expert" Workshop will give you the opportunity to receive personalized research help from a genealogist who specializes in the area of your interest. To sign up, email askanexpert@ugagenealogy.org listing the area that you're requesting help. You'll receive a confirmation email along with further instructions.

United States
British Isles
Canada
Continental Europe
Scandinavia

Lunch will be held from 12:45-2:00 PM

Enjoy your lunch and come listen to Tom Underhill.
His subject will be: The Library is Burning Down!! The Historical Value of Living Sources

Class sessions will continue after lunch running from 2:15-4:30 PM
The fair will conclude with a vendor prize drawing in the auditorium at 4:45 PM.

Register Now By Clicking Here!

BRIGHTSOLID SPONSORS ROOTSTECH 2012, 2-4 FEBRUARY

2012-01-24T19:36:00.005-07:00

The following is from BrightSolid.

BRIGHTSOLID SPONSORS ROOTSTECH 2012, 2-4 FEBRUARY

• It will be a main partner with a large presence at major family history and technology conference in Salt Lake City

· CEO Chris van der Kuyl will be announcing the launch of a new product into the US market

brightsolid, a leading online provider of historical and genealogical content, today announces that it will be sponsoring RootsTech, the major family history and technology conference, taking place in Salt Lake City, Utah from 2-4 February 2012.

With over 3,000 attendees in 2011, when brightsolid first sponsored the event, Rootstech again promises to be the genealogy and technology event of the year. It will assemble everyone from family historians and product developers to content providers and users in a unique forum of innovation, learning and networking.

“We are proud to be a main partner of such an important event”, says Chris van der Kuyl, brightsolid CEO, who will himself be speaking at RootsTech, as part of a 19-strong team there representing brightsolid.

brightsolid has been at the forefront of technological innovations in family history for over three decades. It hosts over a billion genealogical records across its family of brands and was this month voted Best Genealogy Organisation in the online Gene Awards.

As well as sponsoring the conference itself, brightsolid will also be using RootsTech to announce the launch of a new product into the US market and sponsoring key elements within the conference.

Van der Kuyl will address a brightsolid-sponsored lunch on Thursday, 2 February with a talk on, “Why Everyone Deserves Their Own Episode of ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ and How brightsolid Will Help You Get There.”

RootsTech overall will include no less than 11 different talks by members of the brightsolid team, who will also join a range of discussions and workshops between leading family history content developers and users.

brightsolid will also have a large stand at RootsTech, showcasing not just brightsolid’s global network of findmypast sites (includingwww.findmypast.co.uk; www.findmypast.ie and www.findmypast.com.au) but also the Scottish Government site, ScotlandsPeople

(www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk) and the British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk). The latter is a unique treasure trove for the family historian, containing millions of pages from the British Library’s newspaper collection, featuring more than 200 newspaper titles from every part of the UK and Ireland published in the 18th and 19th centuries.

RootsTech will assemble all these resources in one place for the first time. The brightsolid stand there will also boast a presentation area for 15 to 20 people, where visitors will be able to see demonstrations of brightsolid sites and meet production developers. “If English is your mother tongue, the brightsolid stand will be where you’ll find your roots”, says van der Kuyl.

brightsolid is also sponsoring Exercise Your Funny Bone, an evening of comedy on Thursday 2 February, presented by comic Ryan Hamilton, recently named by Rolling Stone as one of Five Comics To Watch.

• About RootsTech 2012

RootsTech 2012 will be held in the Salt Palace Convention Center of Salt Lake City, Utah, from 2-4 February, 2012. It will be a gathering of technology users and technology creators who will be working together to find solutions to difficult family history and genealogy problems. http://rootstech.org/about

• About brightsolid

Since 1994, brightsolid group has been delivering online innovation and pioneering the expansion of the genealogy market with leading family history

websites including the global network of findmypast sites, plus ScotlandsPeople, GenesReunited, andbritishnewspaperarchive.co.uk, together servicing over 18 million registered customers worldwide.

• About brightsolid and the 1940 U.S. Census

On 2 April 2012, digital images of the 1940 United States Federal Census will be made available by the National Archives and Records Administration for the first time.

brightsolid is proud to be part of the 1940 US Census Community Project, a joint initiative with Archives.com, FamilySearch and other leading genealogy organisations, which aims to make the census searchable as quickly as possible after its release. The completion of the project will allow anyone to search for their ancestors in the 1940 census for free online. Learn about this exciting new project at www.the1940census.com

Ready, Set, GO !!! ... It's conference time

2012-01-24T19:28:00.002-07:00

The following is from Daniel Horowitz of MyHeritage.

Dear friends,

Just like many of you, I'm already packing and very exited to be in Salt Lake City for RootsTech.
This is just the start of my many trips to genealogy conference around the world, and this time it is REALLY around the world, as the next stops are London (WDYTYA Live) and then HongKong and Australia; but I will be writing you about that latter on.

RootsTech it's going to be a great conference, full of technology, genealogy, good friends and new people to meet.

MyHeritage is planing a lot of great things to do, show and give; so do not hesitate to pass by our stand 514, its going to be a real blow.

Have have the MyHeritage challenge: Bring your GEDCOM, find long-lost relative and get a nice gift.
We are also asking people to download the MyHeritage app http://bit.ly/ztOvRX, visit our stand to tell us about their experience and take home a beautiful gift.

You definitively don't want to miss the first appearance since 2006 of Gilad Japhet, Founder and CEO of MyHeritage.

Gilad will unveil for the first time ever, a brand new online genealogy research system that will delight family history fans worldwide. Come to the exhibit hall on Thursday Feb 02, from 1:30pm - 2:00 pm for a sneak demo and preview of some its amazing new features.

Together with us will be Schelly Talalai Dardashty, genealogy adviser for the US and official RootsTech blogger and our Executive VP or R&D and Operations, Yuval Ben-galim.

With more than 15 years of leadership experience in the high-tech industry, Yuval is learning very fast about the genealogy world and will be delighted to talk with you about the immediate future plans of MyHeritage. If you would like to schedule an interview, do not hesitate to contact me.

I will be giving a lecture about the MyHeritage API on Thursday Feb 02, from 4:15pm - 5:15 pm in Room 355D. You will be able to get a sneak preview of the great things developers are preparing to release very soon for the genealogy community, in conjunction with MyHeritage.

If you are not going to be in RootsTech we definitively are going to miss you, but you can always follow me on twitterhttps://twitter.com/#!/myhchiefgen or MyHeritage at https://twitter.com/#!/MyHeritage , we will be posting all along the road to keep you up to date.

Best regards

RootsTech 2012: Workshop Registration

2012-01-22T20:17:00.001-07:00

The following is from RootsTech.

RootsTech 2012 is just a few short weeks away and we can't wait for you to see everything we're planning! We've just enabled registration for our Hands-on Workshops, twelve limited-availability computer lab sessions held at RootsTech 2012.

Head over to Edit Registration and log in with the email and the password you used when you registered. You'll have a chance to confirm your lunches and evening events as well. Space is limited, so hurry over.

Thanks and see you in February!

RootsTech Planning Committee

UPDATE:

Our 12 Hands-on Workshops have filled up quickly! They are clearly very popular. We apologize if you tried to register for one and were unsuccessful. Unfortunately there is no waiting list for workshops. We will surely increase the workshop availability for 2013, just as we've done this year.

Please remember there are 120 more excellent sessions, keynotes, lunches, and evening events we've planned for RootsTech 2012. The workshops represent a very small portion of the amazing knowledge and experiences you'll gain this year. See them all on our Sessions page.

Also don't forget to see our Week-at-a-Glance for registration times and a week-long view of RootsTech 2012.

Thanks and see you soon!
RootsTech Planning Committee

SCGS Genealogy Jamboree - Registration is Open!

2012-01-22T20:05:00.001-07:00

The following is from Southern California Genealogical Society.

We are very pleased to announce that registration is open for the 43rd Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree, which will be held Thursday through Sunday, June 8 to 10, 2011, at the LA Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel in Burbank, California.

The theme for the 2012 Jamboree is "Lights, Camera, ANCESTORS - Spotlight on Family History."

"Our attendees can expect an outstanding experience in 2012, maybe even better than in the past," promised Jamboree chair Leo Myers. "In addition to our usual sessions on methodology, records and repositories, online databases and software, we have scheduled several sessions that will help you share your family stories. Count on Jamboree to serve up a weekend of classic genealogical methods, search strategies and technology while tossing in the excitement of Hollywood."

Jamboree will feature nearly 60 speakers and over 100 courses over the weekend. Only the most skilled and knowledgeable lecturers are invited to share their expertise and knowledge.

The exhibit hall, home of nearly 70 companies, societies, online data providers, software and technology companies, will be open to the public throughout the weekend.

As is our tradition, we will offer several free sessions during our JamboFREE on Friday morning. "We are committed to making family history affordable. We don't want the economy to to be a roadblock in the search for our roots," Myers explained.

Co-chair Paula Hinkel added, "Interest in family history is growing with every episode of "Who do You Think You Are? on NBC." Jamboree wants to make genealogy accessible to everyone. We help newcomers avoid the mistakes that novice genealogists always make: (1) not keeping track of sources--where the information is found; and (2) waiting too long to talk to elderly family members. We want to help as many people along their journey as we can."

Friday morning JamboFREE offers something for everyone: librarians, genealogical society leaders, beginners who are testing the family history waters, and experienced genealogists.

One of the more popular JamboFREE activities is Kids' Family History Camp, designed for youth ages 8 to 16. Kids' Camp will be held Thursday from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. on June 8. Scout leaders are invited to bring their troop members to earn their Genealogy badge.

This year will feature two special pre-event sessions, the Family History Writers Conference, and Tech-Trax, special sessions focused on technology for genealogists. One session will be beginner level ("What is a folder? What happens when I push *THIS* button?") and the other will offer sessions for more computer literate users. Details for these two pre-events will be released soon.

Rounding out the weekend are social activities, including tours, breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday, Saturday evening banquet, and the Hollywood Gala on Friday evening.

Visit the Jamboree website at www.scgsgenealogy.com for full details. Early-bird registration discounts are available through April 22. Members of the Southern California Genealogical Society enjoy additional discounts.

Join the other 1700+ attendees at the 2012 Southern California Genealogy Jamboree. Register today!

For more information contact:
Paula Hinkel Southern California Genealogical Society
417 Irving Drive
Burbank, CA 91504
phinkel@scgsgenealogy.com
818.574.8393 phone
818.688.3253 fax

Find Family History Success

2012-01-22T20:01:00.002-07:00

The following is from FamilySearch.

Consultant and Ward Council Newsletter
January 2012

News Headline

Elder Paul E. Koelliker will speak at RootsTech 2012. Don't miss his devotional on Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 11:00 a.m.

Consultants

The Fan Chart is a huge hit! If you haven't created one for yourself, you'll be amazed! And so will everyone you show it to. Create your own Fan Chart here.

Feedback: Tell us how you've shared the Fan Chart with others . Share your Fan Chart success story with us by following this link.

Help your ward by encouraging consultants and leaders to register for online training. If you haven't received your training, you can do it now by clicking here.

Also, be sure to forward this e-mail to other consultants who haven't registered yet so they can stay up to date, too.

Ward Councils

Each ward was mailed 5 copies of the To Turn the Heartsleadership guide and 1 copy of the DVD in late November 2011.

If you haven't yet done so, please review the DVD Training for My Calling: Ward Council (2 minutes), or click here to watch it online.

Feedback: Tell us about your ward council's experience in using the leadership guide and DVD. Click here to share your story with us.

1940 Census: Youth organizations can use the 1940 Census as a service project!

	Find us on Facebook
	Follow us on Twitter
	Forward to a Friend

Feedback: Tell us how FamilySearch can better help you find success in your calling. Click here to share your comments with us.

RootsTech 2012

If you can attend RootsTech and haven't yet registered, log on here to take advantage of Elder Koelliker's devotional and other free opportunities at this industry-leading family history gathering! While some live streaming will be available, consultant-related content will mainly be accessable only at the event. Remember that you need to register to attend even though the consultant sessions and devotional are free. Also, the devotional and consultant training won't be streamed live (but will be available online after the conference).

Church News Article

Sacramento California OMNI Project:
In October 2011, the Sacramento California Stake undertook a project to index one million records--and do it in one month! Read a recent Church Newsarticle to learn more.

1940 United States Census Index

The Church is in need of large numbers of volunteers to assist with indexing the 1940 U.S. Census, which will be made available online beginnng April 2, 2012. Family history consultants, stake indexing directors, family history center directors, and ward council members should instruct those who are interested in participating to visit familysearch.org/1940census to register.

Indexing Update

Did you know that a majority of the approximately 2.5 billion searchable names now available at FamilySearch.org are there because of indexing? View the new web-based training presentation and other materials about indexing at FamilySearch.org.

ICAPGen Test proctors needed for 2012

2012-01-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

The following is from ICAPGen.

ICAPGen is in need of volunteers to help proctor the written accreditation examinations to be held in 2012. Proctors will come to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah on the day of the exam and help administer
the exam to one or more individuals. You do NOT need to be an AG professional to serve as a proctor. You may volunteer to proctor an exam on any or all of the four testing dates below:

25 February 2012
19 May 2012
18 August 2012
17 November 2012

If you are willing to help or would like further information about this opportunity, please contact Kelly Summers, ICAPGen Testing Committee Co-Chair, kelly.summers@icapgen.org.

Thanks!

Book Review of "Waiting in the Wings"

2012-01-12T19:41:00.003-07:00

Around Christmas time I won a free copy of Sarah Hinze's new book "Waiting in the Wings - Heaven is Our Real Home." I just finished this wonderfully inspiring book. The stories are so touching. It is a compilation of short stories from many parents-to-be and young children confirming that we did live before this earth life. The book also confirms we have missions and lessons to learn in this earth life and that there is life after death.

To me there were also many genealogy inspired type moments. One of my favorites is on page 87.

Johnny "Tell Me of Grandpa Robert"

I was putting three-year old Johnny to bed when he asked for a bedtime story. For the past few weeks, I had been telling him of the adventures of his great-great-grandfather: a colonizer, a soldier, a community leader. As I started another story, Johnny stopped me and said, "No, tell me of Grandpa Robert." I was surprised. This was my grandpa. I had not told stories of him, and I could not imagine where Johnny had heard his name. He had died before I even married.

"How do you know about Grandpa Robert?" I asked.
"Well, Momma," he said reverently, "he's the one who brought me to earth."

In one sentence three-year-old Johnny teaches of his own existence before birth, of Grandpa Roberts' existence after death, and that we do not come to earth alone.

I strongly recommend this find of a book. You can order the book by visiting Sarah's website at: http://sarahhinze.com/

See ya tomorrow, for tomorrow is always another genealogy day!

FamilySearch Records Update 6 Jan 2011

2012-01-12T19:18:00.002-07:00

The following is from FamilySearch.

FamilySearch Ushers in New Year with 119 Million New, Free Records from 33 Countries

FamilySearch was extra busy during the holidays. It added 119 million new, free records online (about 64 million indexed names and 55 million browsable images). This latest round of record updates makes 1008 historic record collections online boasting 2.58 billion searchable names and 466 million digital images of historic documents. The numbers are actually very staggering and very exciting for family history enthusiasts! Search the records online now at FamilySearch.org. See the list below for details of the latest additions.

Searchable records on FamilySearch.org are made possible by thousands of volunteers from around the world who transcribe (index) the information from handwritten records to make them easily searchable by computer. More volunteers are needed (particularly those who can read foreign languages) to keep pace with the amount of digital images being published online at FamilySearch.org. Learn more about how to personally help provide free access to the world’s historic genealogical records as an indexer at FamilySearch.org.

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. FamilySearch is a nonprofit, volunteer–driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter–day Saints. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Collection	Records	Images	Comments
Australia, Queensland Cemetery Records, 1802-1990	0	1,121,438	New browsable image collection.
Australia, Tasmania, Miscellaneous Records, 1829-1961	0	20,921	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Austria, Seigniorial Records, 1537-1888	0	1,355,844	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Bolivia, Catholic Church Records, 1566-1996	0	1,643,437	New browsable image collection.
Brazil Civil Registration, 1870-2009	0	94,096	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Canada, Ontario Births, 1869-1912	275,598	0	Added index records to existing collection.
Canada, Quebec Notarial Records, 1800-1900	0	46,574	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Canada, Saskatchewan, Judicial District Court Records, 1891-1954	0	26,124	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Canada, Saskatchewan, Probate Estate Files, 1887-1931	0	1,591,193	New browsable image collection.
Canada, Quebec Notarial Records, 1800-1900	0	53,129	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Chile, Santiago, Cementerio General, 1821-2010	0	67,099	Added browsable images to existing collection.
China, Collection of Genealogies, 1500-1900	0	119,508	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Colombia, Catholic Church Records, 1600-2008	0	30,586	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Costa Rica, Civil Registration, 1860-1975	0	404,717	New browsable image collection.
Czech Republic, Censuses, 1843-1921	0	39,140	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Czech Republic, Church Books, 1552-1935	0	1,410,476	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Czech Republic, Land Records, 1450-1850	0	140,069	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Czech Republic, Třeboň, Nobility Seignorial records, 1664-1698	0	72,020	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Dominican Republic Civil Registration, 1801-2006	0	11,025	Added browsable images to existing collection.
El Salvador, Civil Registration Records, 1836-1910	0	1,313,396	Added browsable images to existing collection.
England and Wales Census, 1871	5,480,742	316,157	New Index and new browsable image collection with links to FindMyPast.com.
England, Norfolk Parish Registers, 1538-1900	188,222	268	Added index records and added browsable images to existing collection.
Estonia, Church Books 1835-1940	0	7,423	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Germany Marriages, 1558-1929	1,310,718	0	Added records to index collection.
Germany, Bavaria, Dinkelsbühl Miscellaneous City Records, 1804-1946	0	32,488	New browsable image collection.
Germany, Württemberg, Albstadt, Miscellaneous City Records, 1705-1850	0	308,313	New browsable image collection.
Guatemala, Catholic Church Records, 1581-1977	0	1,151,061	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Hungary Catholic Church Records, 1636-1895	538,239	0	Added index records to existing collection.
Hungary Reformed Church Christenings, 1624-1895	2,464,298	0	New index collection.
Hungary, Civil Registration, 1895-1980	0	421,759	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Italy, Bologna, Bologna, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1866-1941	0	2,129,164	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Italy, Catania, Caltagirone, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1861-1941	0	1,070,546	New browsable image collection.
Italy, Catania, Catania, Civil Registration (Comune), 1820-1905	0	188,009	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Italy, Cuneo, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1795-1915	0	267,978	New browsable image collection.
Italy, Genova, Chiavari, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1866-1941	0	260,400	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Italy, Napoli, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1809-1865	48,696	0	Added index records to existing collection for the Quartiere of San Ferdinando.
Italy, Pistoia, Pistoia, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1866-1929	0	465,452	New browsable image collection.
Italy, Ravenna, Ravenna, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1866-1929	0	1,194,499	New browsable image collection.
Italy, Trieste, Trieste, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1924-1939	0	672,382	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Jamaica, Civil Birth Registration	0	10,323	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Korea, Collection of Genealogies, 1500-2009	0	63,030	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Mexico, Morelos, Civil Registration, 1861-1920	0	41,250	New browsable image collection.
Micronesia, Pohnpei, Land Records, 1971-2007	0	479,425	New browsable image collection.
Nicaragua, Diocese of Managua, Catholic Church Records, 1740-2008	0	86,119	New browsable image collection.
Norway Census, 1875	43,443	0	Added index records to existing collection.
Peru, Civil Registration, 1874-1996	0	232,647	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Philippines, Civil Registration (National), 1945-1980	0	6,541,475	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Poland, Roman Catholic Church Books, 1600-1950	59,762	984,396	Added browsable images to existing collection and added index records to existing collection for Lublin.
Portugal, Aveiro, Catholic Church Records, 1550-1911	0	571,698	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Portugal, Aveiro, Passport Registers, 1882-1965	0	45,898	New browsable image collection.
Portugal, Aveiro, Testaments, 1900-1936	0	28,281	New browsable image collection.
Portugal, Braga, Catholic Church Records, 1530-1911	0	88,135	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Portugal, Bragança, Catholic Church Records, 1541-1985	0	596,527	New browsable image collection.
Portugal, Coimbra, Catholic Church Records, 1459-1911	0	100,233	New browsable image collection.
Portugal, Coimbra, Passport Registers and Application Files, 1835-1938	0	2,464	New browsable image collection.
Portugal, Diocese of Lamego, Catholic Church Records, 1532-1911	0	448,196	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Portugal, Diocese of Vila Real, Catholic Church Records, 1575-1975	0	234,398	New browsable image collection.
Portugal, Faro, Catholic Church Records, 1587-1880	0	138,057	New browsable image collection.
Portugal, Guarda, Catholic Church Records, 1459-1911	0	815,966	New browsable image collection.
Portugal, Leiria, Catholic Church Records, 1534-1911	0	639,166	New browsable image collection.
Portugal, Leiria, Passport Registers, 1861-1901	0	5,637	New browsable image collection.
Portugal, Porto, Catholic Church Records, 1535-1949	0	1,038,585	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Portugal, Porto, Catholic Church Records, 1582-1908	0	5,068	New browsable image collection.
Portugal, Setúbal, Catholic Church Records, 1555-1911	0	401,773	New browsable image collection.
Portugal, Viana do Castelo, Catholic Church Records, 1537-1909	0	364,977	New browsable image collection.
Portugal, Vila Real, Catholic Church Records, 1533-1941	0	396,243	New browsable image collection.
South Africa, Orange Free State, Estate Files, 1951-2004	0	159,709	Added browsable images to existing collection.
South Africa, Reformed Church Records, 1856-1988	0	1,603	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Spain, Cádiz, Testaments, 1550-1920	0	10,682	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Spain, Consular Records of Emigrants, 1808-1960	0	26,731	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Spain, Consular Records of Emigrants, 1808-1960	0	9,724	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Spain, Municipal Records	0	376,689	Added browsable images to existing collection.
Sweden, Älvsborg Church Records, 1642-1897; index 1681-1860	0	649,515	New browsable image collection. Link provided by National Archives of Sweden.
Sweden, Blekinge Church Records, 1612-1916; index 1646-1860	0	646,020	New browsable image collection. Link provided by National Archives of Sweden.
Sweden, Gävleborg Church Records, 1616-1908; index 1671-1860	0	467,630	New browsable image collection. Link provided by National Archives of Sweden.
Sweden, Göteborg och Bohus Church Records, 1577-1932; index 1659-1860	0	502,836	New browsable image collection. Link provided by National Archives of Sweden.
Sweden, Gotland Church Records, 1582-1940; index 1655-1860	0	339,850	New browsable image collection. Link provided by National Archives of Sweden.
Sweden, Halland Church Records, 1615-1904; index 1615-1860	0	351,775	New browsable image collection. Link provided by National Archives of Sweden.
Sweden, Jämtland Church Records, 1582-1928; index 1642-1860	0	163,075	New browsable image collection. Link provided by National Archives of Sweden.
Sweden, Jönköping Church Records, 1581-1935; index 1633-1860	0	721,027	New browsable image collection. Link provided by National Archives of Sweden.
Sweden, Kalmar Church Records, 1577-1907; index 1625-1860	0	616,487	New browsable image collection. Link provided by National Archives of Sweden.
Sweden, Örebro Church Records, 1613-1918; index 1635-1860	0	638,873	New browsable image collection. Link provided by National Archives of Sweden.
Sweden, Skaraborg Church Records, 1612-1921; index 1625-1860	0	557,037	New browsable image collection. Link provided by National Archives of Sweden.
U.S., Alabama State Census, 1855	34,978	0	New index collection.
U.S., Alabama State Census, 1866	243,781	0	New index collection.
U.S., Alabama, County Estate Records, 1800-1996	0	1,341,915	New browsable image collection.
U.S., Alabama, Sumter County Circuit Court Files, 1840-1950	0	38,097	New browsable image collection.
U.S., California, Marriage Index, 1960-1985	4,879,253	0	New index collection courtesy of Ancestry.com.
U.S., California, San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records, 1835-1931	0	63,571	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., California, San Francisco County Records, 1824-1997	0	1,034,024	New browsable image collection.
U.S., California, San Mateo County Records, 1856-1967	0	69,534	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Connecticut, Death Index, 1949-2001	1,408,326		New index collection courtesy of Ancestry.com.
U.S., Delaware, Vital Records, 1680-1962	0	1,497,613	New browsable image collection.
U.S., District of Columbia Marriages, 1811-1950	170,985	106,123	Added index records and added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Florida Marriages, 1830-1993	205,388	153,621	New index and new browsable image collection.
U.S., Florida, Tampa, Passenger Lists, 1898-1945	0	44,642	New browsable image collection.
U.S., Georgia Headright and Bounty Land Records, 1783-1909	0	10,376	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Idaho, Cassia County Records, 1879-1960	0	24,647	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Idaho, Cassia County Records, 1879-1960	0	46,802	New browsable image collection.
U.S., Idaho, Minidoka County Records, 1913-1961	0	41,712	New browsable image collection.
U.S., Illinois, Probate Records, 1819-1970	0	68,861	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Indiana, Death Index, 1882-1920	793,965		New index collection courtesy of Ancestry.com.
U.S., Indiana, Marriages, 1811-1959 (Jay and Hamilton counties)	102,538	0	Added index records to existing collection.
U.S., Kentucky, Confederate Pension Applications, 1912-1950	0	29,959	New browsable image collection.
U.S., Kentucky, County Marriages, 1797-1954	66,977	46,724	Added index records and added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Louisiana, Orleans Parish Vital Records, 1910, 1960	0	19,330	New browsable image collection.
U.S., Louisiana, Parish Marriages, 1837-1957	37,501	54,003	New index and new browsable image collection.
U.S., Louisiana, Second Registration Draft Cards, compiled 1948-1959	0	59,623	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Maine, State Archive Collections, 1790-1966	0	20,768	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Maine, Washington County Courthouse Records, 1785-1950	0	8,652	New browsable image collection.
U.S., Maryland, Garrett County Probate Estate and Guardianship Files, 1920-1940	0	123,415	New browsable image collection.
U.S., Maryland, Register of Wills Books, 1629-1983	0	390,060	Added browsable images to existing collection for Baltimore and Somerset counties.
U.S., Massachusetts, Boston Passenger Lists, 1891-1943	0	335,814	New browsable image collection.
U.S., Massachusetts, Death Index, 1970-2003	2,037,187	0	New index collection courtesy of Ancestry.com.
U.S., Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Estate Files, 1686-1881	0	35,108	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Massachusetts, State Vital Records, 1841-1920	0	283,997	New browsable image collection.
U.S., Michigan, Death Index, 1971-1996	2,052,472	0	New index collection courtesy of Ancestry.com.
U.S., Minnesota, Birth Index, 1935-2002	4,267,629	0	New index collection courtesy of Ancestry.com.
U.S., Minnesota, Clay County, School Census Records, 1909-1962	0	14,457	New browsable image collection.
U.S., Minnesota, Death Index, 1908-2002	2,931,700	0	New index collection courtesy of Ancestry.com.
U.S., Mississippi Confederate Records, 1889-1942	0	12,669	New browsable image collection.
U.S., Mississippi Confederate Veterans and Widows Pension Applications, 1900-1974	0	117,637	New browsable image collection.
U.S., Mississippi State Archives, Various Records, 1820-1951	0	12,167	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Mississippi, Tippah County Family Histories	0	3,860	New browsable image collection.
U.S., Montana, Cascade County Records, 1888-1945	0	180,071	New browsable image collection.
U.S., Montana, Cascade County Records, 1888-1955	0	86,033	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Montana, Death Index, 1860-2007	663,371	0	New index collection courtesy of Ancestry.com.
U.S., New Jersey, Middlesex County Probate Records, 1830-1921	0	16,566	New browsable image collection.
U.S., New York State Census, 1875	1,674,675	0	Added index records to existing collection.
U.S., New York, County Marriages, 1908-1935	130,979	166,690	Added index records and added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., New York, Orange County Probate Records, 1787-1938	0	117,114	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., New York, Probate Records, 1629-1971	0	1,630,900	New browsable image collection.
U.S., New York, Queens County Probate Records, 1899-1921	0	437,855	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., North Carolina Civil Action Court Papers, 1712-1970	0	141,759	New browsable image collection.
U.S., North Carolina, Birth Index, 1800-2000	6,957,269	0	New index collection courtesy of Ancestry.com.
U.S., North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-1979	374,219	102,264	Added index records and added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., North Carolina, County Records, 1833-1970	0	82,193	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., North Carolina, Estate Files, 1663-1917	9,872	267,729	Missing information?
U.S., North Carolina, State Supreme Court Case Files, 1800-1909	0	169,607	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Oklahoma County Marriages, 1891-1959	168,303	109,572	Added index records and added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Oregon, Columbia County Records, 1854-1958	0	14,420	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Oregon, County Marriages, 1851-1975	48,542	41,178	Added index records and added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Oregon, Death Index, 1903-1998	1,447,641	0	New index collection courtesy of Ancestry.com.
U.S., Pennsylvania County Marriages, 1885-1950	1,325,465	1,167,074	New index and new browsable image collection.
U.S., Pennsylvania, Eastern District Petitions for Naturalization, 1795-1931	0	326,903	New browsable image collection.
U.S., Texas Birth Certificates, 1903-1934	551,734	523,442	Added index records and added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997	17,102,207	0	New index collection courtesy of Ancestry.com.
U.S., Texas Deaths, 1890-1976	0	45,481	New images.
U.S., Texas Deaths, 1977-1986	0	79,765	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Texas, County Marriage Index, 1837-1977	79,137	0	Added index records to existing collection.
U.S., Texas, Daughters of the Republic of Texas, Membership Applications, 1892-2010	0	28,899	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Vermont, Bennington County, Manchester District Estate Files, 1779-1935	0	78,681	New browsable image collection.
U.S., Vermont, Franklin County Probate Records, 1796 to 1921	0	139,160	New browsable image collection.
U.S., Virginia, Historical Society Papers, 1607-2007	0	918,495	New browsable image collection.
U.S., Washington, County Records, 1856-2009	0	961,597	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Wisconsin, Birth Index, 1820-1907	985,659	0	New index collection courtesy of Ancestry.com.
U.S., Wisconsin, Death Index, 1959-1997	1,629,093	0	New index collection courtesy of Ancestry.com.
U.S., Wisconsin, Probate Estate Files, 1848-1935	0	37,822	Added browsable images to existing collection.
U.S., Wisconsin, Shawano and Oconto Counties, Indexes and Records, 1850-2007	0	27,614	New browsable image collection.
United States, Applications for Headstones for Military Veterans, 1925-1941	298,268	0	Added index records to existing collection.
United States, General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934	0	2,331,541	New browsable image collection.
United States, Index to Service Records, War with Spain, 1898	0	304,315	New browsable image collection.
United States, New England Naturalization Index, 1791-1906	615,903	0	Added index records to existing collection.
United States, Records of Headstones of Deceased Union Veterans, 1879-1903	169,253	0	Added index records to existing collection.
Wales, Probate Abstracts, 1544-1858	0	1,737	Added browsable images to existing collection.

2012 RootsTech Conference Special Discount to End

2012-01-12T19:16:00.003-07:00

The following is from RootsTech.

Special Discount for RootsTech 2012 Ends January 13! Register Now!
If you haven’t registered for RootsTech 2012 yet, you will want to do so by January 13 to take advantage of the special discount price of $149.

The RootsTech 2012 Conference, February 2–4 in Salt Lake City, Utah, is a dynamic, one-of-a-kind event. It is designed to bring technologists together with genealogists of all skill levels, so they can learn from each other and find solutions to the challenges in family history research today—hence the lineup of speakers this year from Google, Instructure, Ancestry.com, and FamilySearch!

Check out these exciting evening events:

Thursday, February 2: Exercise your Funny Bone with Comedian Ryan Hamilton
Friday, February 3: Late Night at the Family History Library

Of course, the RootsTech 2012 Conference is also a great time for productive research at the Family History Library, which will be open long hours. The RootsTech venue is practically adjacent to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City! Come early, stay late—plan to satisfy your research needs. Go to RootsTech 2012 to explore the full list of topics, sessions, speakers, and conference offerings Take advantage of the special registration rate now. We look forward to seeing you at RootsTech!

2012 SPONSORS

www.rootstech.org

Riverton Saturday Seminar

2012-01-12T19:12:00.000-07:00

The following is from FamilySearch.

Riverton FamilySearch Library to Host an Event

on January21st from 9:00 A.M. to Noon

RIVERTON,UTAH¾Ever wish that your enthusiasm for family history research was contagiousand you could get priesthood leaders and others excited about the potential offamily history and temple work? If so, you will not want to miss ShipleyMunson’s keynote address at the Riverton Saturday Seminar on January 21. In hisaddress, “Getting Priesthood Leaders Psyched,” he will share ideas intended tomotivate and inspire leaders and others to do family history.

Shipley Munson serves as the director of the marketing division ofFamilySearch. In this role, he helps people get excited about their familyhistories and works to establish the FamilySearch brand in the minds of thegeneral public. Munson came to FamilySearch after a 25-year career in marketingwhere he advised such companies as Frito-Lay, McDonalds’s, Gillette, Apple,Delta Airlines, and Fidelity Investments. He speaks seven languages and has twodegrees from Harvard University and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Followingthe 9:00 a.m. keynote presentation, there will be two blocks of four classes eachthat will cover topics of interest to both beginning and advanced family historyenthusiasts.

Classes tobe held from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. are:

· “Records Say the Darndest Things”¾The Ancestry Insider

· “PennsylvaniaResearch: An Overview”¾Tim Bingaman

· “Navigating the Globewith Google”¾DevinAshby

· “Introduction to Italian Indexing”¾Brad Jensen

Theclasses available from 11:00 a.m. to noon are:

“Tips, Tools, and Freebies, Part 1”¾Ron Ray
“Learningto Read the Scandinavian Gothic Script”¾Anka Macgee
“FamilySearch Wiki: Our #1 Tool”¾Pat Jensen
“FeaturesBeyond PAF 5 in Ancestral Quest”¾Gaylon Findlay

Registrationis not required for this free seminar. The Riverton FamilySearch Library islocated in the LDS Riverton Office Building at 3740 Market Center Drive. Thefacility is near the intersection of Bangerter Highway and 13400 South, justeast of The Home Depot.

FamilySearchInternational is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Millions ofpeople use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more abouttheir family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch and itspredecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogicalrecords worldwide for over 100 years. FamilySearch is a nonprofit organizationsponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Patrons mayaccess FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org orthrough over 4,600 family history centers in 132 countries, including therenowned Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

RootsTech Daily Schedule is posted!

2012-01-09T21:34:00.000-07:00

The RootsTech Daily Schedule was actually posted a couple of days ago. It's only now that I have the time to start thinking about which class to pick at what time frame. It's going to take me a while to make my choices. At least there is 24 more days until RootsTech. But who's counting - ME!!!

You can view the RootsTech Daily Schedule at: http://rootstech.org/schedule/index

If you haven't registered yet for Rootstech you can still receive a special discount registration price of $149 until January 13, 2012.

See ya tomorrow, for tomorrow is always another genealogy day!

Renee's Genealogy Blog

Your RootsTech 2012 Update for 1 February

RootsTech Week 2012!

Thames Watermen records now available at findmypast.co.uk

Mark Your Calendars - UVTAGG Meeting!

Join Us Online At RootsTech 2012

RootsTech 2012

We'd Love To See You At RootsTech, However...

Fold3 Opens Nearly 3 Million African American Records For Free During Black History Month

Registration for 2012 LDSTech Conference Now Open

Why RootsMagic Works for Me!

Win an iPad in the RootsMagic 2012 RootsTech Treasure Hunt!

Online Treasure Hunt

Enter at RootsTech or at Home

RootsTech 2012 Starts This Week!

RootsTech 2012 Is Here!

RootsTech Kicks Off This Week

Dress

Ancestry.com, Behindthename.com, and Werelate.org Announce an Improved Approach For Finding Variant Names

brightsolid hires top genealogist D. Joshua Taylor to support move into US market

Season 3 Premiere of "Who Do You Think You Are?"

RootsTech Conference Will Broadcast Select Sessions Free Online

About RootsTech

Fold3 5th Anniversary Special Ends Soon

In 5 years, Fold3 has:

Canterbury Cathedral records to go online at findmypast.co.uk

Your RootsTech 2012 Update for 26 January

One Week Until RootsTech 2012!

Ancestry.com Partners with Historical Society of PA to Bring Rich History Online

Family History Library February 2012 Research Series - Swedish Research

Family History Library February 2012 Research Series - African-American Research

FamilySearch Research Help Community Newsletter

Share Your Story Contest!

The 1940 U.S. Cenus Community Project

RootsTech Live

Last Chance--Free Consultant RootsTech 2012 Registration

RootsTech 2012

Free Consultant, Priesthood, and Family History Director Track

RootsTech 2012 is fast approaching--and for Family History Consultants, Priesthood Leaders, Family History Directors, and Stake Indexing Directors, you can attend this track FOR FREE!

UGA South Davis Family History Fair 2012

BRIGHTSOLID SPONSORS ROOTSTECH 2012, 2-4 FEBRUARY

Ready, Set, GO !!! ... It's conference time

RootsTech 2012: Workshop Registration

SCGS Genealogy Jamboree - Registration is Open!

Find Family History Success

Consultant and Ward Council Newsletter January 2012

News Headline

Consultants

Ward Councils

RootsTech 2012

Church News Article

1940 United States Census Index

Indexing Update

ICAPGen Test proctors needed for 2012

Book Review of "Waiting in the Wings"

FamilySearch Records Update 6 Jan 2011

FamilySearch Ushers in New Year with 119 Million New, Free Records from 33 Countries

2012 RootsTech Conference Special Discount to End

Riverton Saturday Seminar

RootsTech Daily Schedule is posted!

Consultant and Ward Council Newsletter
January 2012